Tuesday, April 27, 2010

When my daughter was first diagnosed with food allergies she was able to eat Honey Nut Cheerios. It always boggled my mind because it says, 'Honey Nut'. At the time, being new to food allergies, I didn't take the time to figure out what kind of nut it was because it never affected her. Plus I talked to another mother whose daughter had nut allergies and she said her child was able to eat Honey Nut Cheerios also, so, no big deal, right?

Sometime later, I gave my daughter a bowl of the cereal and she said it made her tongue feel funny. I asked her if she was sure. I thought she was fine when it came to this cereal. So I tried a bowl of it myself. I don't know if I was trying to "empathize with her", but it left a metallic taste in my mouth. Just like any mother who is weirded out by stuff, I threw the box out. This prompted me to see just what kind of nut they actually used in the cereal. I know, I know, bad mother. How could you feed your daughter something you haven't fully researched? Well, my daughter never had severe reactions to food like most other kids did and her allergist also told me that peanuts and cashews were the ones I needed to look out for. Not getting much help from her allergist, I realized how serious it really was after doing research on my own.

Now, we jump to the present. I was in the store shopping for cereal when I came across the "new" Honey Nut Cheerio. Well, it was new to me. Apparently they took out the nut and put in almond flavor instead around 2006. I figured we could try it again because the actual nut is no longer in it. So I gave her a bowl and she happily ate it. Halfway through the bowl she stopped eating it and started on her bread. She had a weird expression on her face, so I asked her if the cereal made her feel funny. She said that it did, with a little hesitance. I think she really wanted to finish it, but I didn't let her. This convinced me to pull out her results again and look them over to see what her number had gone down to. It went from a 2.58 (class 2) to a 0.44 (class 1). Now my question is, how is it that when she was listed as a class 2 she could eat the cereal, but now that she has dropped to a class 1, it seems to bother her? Am I the only parent out just doesn't get this whole allergy thing, or are there others?

Thursday, April 22, 2010

This is my second review for Mixes from the Heartland. I really enjoyed the food that they sent me and implore everyone to go to their website and try some of their food. It makes mealtime very quick and delicious. And if you have any food allergies it is perfect because they are a facility that is free of wheat, soy, barley, oats, rye, eggs, nuts, and by products (which is listed on the back of their packages).

The last time I posted a review, it was regarding their Beef Skillet Dinner and their Sweet Potato Brownie Mix (which was to die for!!). This week I am going to be reviewing their Italian Bean Soup, Corn-n-Tomato Salsa, Strawberry Dip, and Tex Mex Spaghetti Meal.

Like most of their packages, all the ingredients are inside. I just added some chopped tomatoes and Italian sausage and the meal was good to go. You put it on the stove and boil it for a while and then it is ready to eat. I will be honest, I hate soup, but this one I really liked. I wasn't sure if I was going to, but I did. The variety of beans and the added sausage, makes it a quick meal in one soup.

Their Tex Mex Spaghetti meal was really good. I added the browned beef and tomatoes and mixed everything together for a Texas flare to the spaghetti. It was really good. And everything again came right in the bag. All of the meals that I made produced enough for a family to eat. I was able to actually share most of everything that I made with my sister's family. They said they really enjoyed it also and would buy from Mixes from the Heartland (and none of them have any food allergies). Once again, people probably think that this food might not taste as good because it is allergy free, but it does have flavor to it.

The Corn-n-Tomato Salsa was really good as well. I put the mix in sour cream and made a chip dip with it. It gave a great twist to the plain chip.

If there is something that I think you should try, it would be the Strawberry Dip. I had people asking to take some of it home (not trying to be selfish, but I didn't want them to). This was a major hit in my house. It was amazing!!! All I had to add was some cool whip and cream cheese and it made an incredible dip for fruits. I used strawberries and bananas. It tasted great with both. My niece was eating it plain out of the bowl. That is how good it tasted. I have to say I was surprised by this dip.

Once again I have to say that I really think that this is a company that you should shop through if you have food allergies. It is something that everyone can eat and the person with the allergies will not feel left out because everyone is eating the same thing. So go out and buy some of their products. Their food will be in my cupboards!!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I want to thank Jo from Jo's Health Corner for giving me an award! And such a yummy looking one at that!! Jo is an Aromatherapist who is all about great health and shows you how to make your own products. You should stop by her site and check it out for a lot of great information.

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I have been lucky to be able to do a review for Mixes from the Heartland. They sent me a variety of different items to try and review. They are a facility that is free of wheat, soy, barley, oats, rye, eggs, nuts, and by products (which is listed on the back of their packages). If you click on their name above it will take you to their website.

The first item I tried was their Beef Skillet Dinner. It came in a sturdy plastic pouch with the noodles and the seasoning mixture. How much more convenient can you get than to have an all-in-one dinner packet? This makes last minute meals very quick and easy. I know a lot of people may think all natural food lacks in taste, but this didn't. It was really good. And there was enough in one packet to feed a whole family for dinner. This is perfect for someone who has a gluten intolerant. The noodles are made out of brown rice instead of wheat.

The next item I tried was their Sweet Potato Brownies. These were AWESOME! I usually don't eat anything that deals with sweet potatoes (not a fan), but I was glad I ate these. They have turned over a new leaf in me. These are a quick bake also. All you do is pour the packet contents into the bowl, add butter and eggs and you are done. They bake up nice and soft. My house smelled so good! When my sister stopped by I asked her if she wanted to try one, she did and enjoyed them.

So, if you are a person who has is gluten intolerant or has a nut allergy, this would be a perfect company for you to get food through. My daughter has nut allergies and was able to eat everything that I made. I didn't have to worry about what was in the food for once. I also have a mother who is gluten intolerant and she was also able to eat everything that I made. She has a difficult time finding food to eat and this turned out to be a perfect place for her to buy food that she loves and tastes good. I will start buying from them and urge you to also. Their food is really good.

Over the next couple of days I will be writing reviews on their Tex Mex Spaghetti Meal, Italian Bean Soup, Corn-n-Tomato Salsa, and their Strawberry Dip. So come back and read my reviews on those items.

Disclaimer: I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I did receive a sample of the product to try in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

This morning I woke up to my blackberry going off. I rolled over to see what emails had come through and found this one. It is from MyPublisher. They are a photobook company who is having a special sale today and tomorrow. You can order a classic photobook for $20. The deal also includes unlimited pages. So for the rest of the day I will be working on a photobook of my last trip. Oh, the coupon code for this is PHOTO20. UnfortunatlyQE4J2BJFGA37

it is only for one book. But that is still a good deal. These books can carry a high price if they have a lot of pages in them. So, go out and make yourself a photobook!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

*Food allergy information: Testings, foods, proper uses, recipes, and my experiences dealing with my daughter's food allergies (which is slowly getting better, thank the Lord and leaves me time to do other things on my blog like the next topics)

*Book Reviews: I LOVE reading books, so I decided to start reviewing the books that I am reading. So if anyone is visiting my blog who would love for their books to be reviewed, leave me a message. And if you have any good books that you think I should read, leave me your ideas. They are gladly accepted!!

*Product Reviews: After reviewing books, I realized how exciting it was and decided to start reviewing products. My first review is for Mixes From the Heartland products. Come back to read it. They sent me a ton of food to review and it looks good!

*Last but not least, I may start posting about ADD. My daughter is going to be tested for it (I know, what else could go wrong with her :) and if she has it, I will probably start to post about that too.

I know blogs are supposed to be about one topic, but I have never been the one topic kind of person. So when you come on here, you will get a plethora of information.

I hope you enjoy your visit. Leave me a comment, follow me on Google friend/Twitter, grab my button (I love buttons and am in the process of creating a button page) and I will do the same. I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks, is a grab a blanket and don't get up until you are done kind of a book. It was very touching and pulled at my heart strings. It had me smiling, laughing, and crying all the way to the very end.

This story is set in Wilmington, North Carolina between the years of 2000 to 2006. It is about a young man by the name of John Tyree, who was born in 1977 and raised by a single parent. Having somewhat of a tumultuous beginning, he decided to join the army after high school.

One day, while on leave, he meets a young girl by the name of Savannah Lynn Curtis. John, being somewhat of a bad boy and Savannah, being a Christian girl, makes it a bad boy meets good girl type of story. But unlike most, their relationship over the next couple of days develops into a strong love for each other. A love that has them dreaming of being together forever. Then his two weeks leave ends and he has to return to where he is stationed. Their love is then taken through trials and tribulations of a distant romance. The question is can their love, the strongest of all loves, survive the test of time?

This book turned out to be a better read than I thought it would be. I thought it would be a book filled with a lot of letters between the two of them. But it turned out to be a really enduring story and I highly recommend it as a must read.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

I know most of you probably already know how to properly use an epipen, but for those of you who are new to this, this article is for you.

I use to have a ton of fear when I first saw this plastic tube with a needle on the end. I thought, ‘I have to jam this in my daughter’s leg?’ I did everything possible to avoid the use of one (and still do). But my goal was to become comfortable with it, just incase I needed to use it. So here goes…
First and foremost, whoever has your child needs to know where to find it. Then need to know whether the epipen is in their backpack, around their waist or somewhere high out of their reach. Once that is noted, then it is time to learn how to use it.

First: You take it out of its box. I carry it in the box it came in because it keeps my daughter from opening it up. She is highly curious.

Second: Remove the green or yellow cap off the top. Once you have done that, then you can slide the epipen out of its casing.

Third: Remove the grey safety cap off the back of the pen.

Fourth: Get a tight grip on the pen and firmly jab the black tip part into your outer thigh. Listen for it to click and hold it in place for 10 seconds.

Fifth: Once you have done that, call 911.

If you still aren’t feeling very comfortable with the idea of jamming this into your child’s leg, you can take the expired epipen and practice on a fruit, so that you have some sort of experience with it. For extra precaution, you can print the directions on the back of a plastic allergy information card. That way, when you hand the person the allergy card, you can show then the directions on the back of the card on how to use the epipen.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

"An Honest Love", written by Kathleen Fuller, is a very compelling novel. The compassion that is shown between the characters in this story made me want to fall in love all over again.

Fuller has set this story, the 2nd book in the A Hearts of Middlefield Novel series, in Middlefield, Ohio, surrounding a small Amish community. When reading this story, you will learn about some of the ins and outs of the life of the Amish men and women and some of their language, which has been implanted into parts of their conversations. You also learn how heavily they rely on God to get them through their times of trouble.

Anna Esh is a caring, quiet, modest young woman who moved to Middlefield with her mother in order to take care of her Uncle Zeb. While she and her mother take over a local goods shop, she meets a strong willed, caring man name Lukas Byler. Upon seeing her, he is immediately smitten, but because of past relationships, it takes her awhile to warm up to him. Overtime, what starts as a friendship turns into a heartfelt romantic relationship. The only problem, Anna has a secret that will either make their relationship stronger or tear them apart forever.

Aaron Detweiler is an attractive, reticent young man who took full advantage of his rumspringa. After returning to his community and starting work as a blacksmith, he meets a carefree, childlike young woman name Elisabeth Byler. Working at the same company allows Aaron and Elisabeth to spend time together and have their co-working relationship grow into best friends. Because of Elisabeth’s naivety and stubbornness at times, Aaron is forced to dwell on his past more than he wants to. Since they are such good friends, a lot of ups and downs are caused in their relationship which tears them between staying friends and wanting more.

This is a very riveting and well written story which makes you feel as though you are right there with them going through everything they are. I highly recommend this book, which has topped the list of my best reads of all time. I will definitely be reading the first book in this series and getting the next one when it comes out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255